Photo by Sartre LIU on Unsplash
The Annunciation to Mary
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a small, humble town in the region of Galilee. Gabriel carried a message for a young virgin named Mary, who was betrothed to a carpenter named Joseph, a direct descendant of King David.
The angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was deeply troubled by his words, wondering what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel comforted her, saying, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and his kingdom will never end.”
Confused by the physical impossibility, Mary asked, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
Gabriel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” He also shared that her elderly relative, Elizabeth, was miraculously pregnant with a son, for no word from God will ever fail.
Mary bowed her head and answered, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. Soon after, Mary traveled to the hill country of Judea to visit Elizabeth, where the two women rejoiced together over the miraculous lives growing inside them.
Joseph’s Dream
When Mary returned home, her pregnancy became noticeable. Joseph, her betrothed, was a righteous man who sought to follow the law but also possessed great compassion. Discovery of the pregnancy placed Mary at risk of severe public disgrace and potential execution. Because Joseph did not want to expose her to public shame, he made up his mind to divorce her quietly, breaking the engagement without a public trial.
After he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
This fulfilled the ancient prophecy from Isaiah: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
When Joseph woke up, he did exactly what the angel of the Lord had commanded him. He took Mary home as his wife, protecting her reputation, but he remained a guardian rather than a husband until she gave birth to her firstborn son.
The Journey to Bethlehem
During those days, Caesar Augustus, the Roman Emperor, issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. Everyone was required to travel to their own ancestral town to register for taxes.
Because Joseph belonged to the house and line of David, he had to travel from the town of Nazareth in Galilee down to Judea, to Bethlehem, the historic city of David. He took Mary with him, who was now heavily pregnant and near her time of delivery.
The journey was long and grueling, stretching roughly 90 miles through rough terrain. Traveling by foot and likely utilizing a donkey to ease Mary’s burden, they finally arrived in Bethlehem. However, because of the massive influx of travelers arriving for the census, the local accommodations were completely overwhelmed.
Joseph searched for a place for them to stay, but there was no guest room available for them in the traditional inn. Taking pity on the laboring young woman, a local keeper offered them the only space left—a sheltered area typically reserved for animals, likely a cave or a stable built into the stone.
The Birth in the Stable
While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born. In the quiet isolation of the shelter, surrounded by the animals of the night, Mary gave birth to her firstborn son.
She carefully wrapped the newborn baby in swaddling clothes—strips of cloth used to keep an infant warm and secure—and gently laid Him in a manger, the wooden or stone feeding trough used for the animals. The Savior of the world was born not in a palace of gold, but in the ultimate humility of a stable.
The Shepherds and the Angels
Living out in the nearby fields that night, shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks under the open sky. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the brilliant, blinding glory of the Lord shone all around them. The shepherds were terrified.
The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly, the single angel was joined by a vast, celestial army of heaven—a multitude of the heavenly host—praising God and shouting through the night sky:
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels left them and returned to heaven, the breathless shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
They hurried off through the dark streets of Bethlehem and found Mary, Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger exactly as described. After seeing Him, the shepherds spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed. Mary quietly treasured up all these things and pondered them deeply in her heart. The shepherds returned to their fields, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen.
The Visit of the Magi
Sometime later, after Jesus’ birth, Magi—wise scholars and astrologers from eastern lands—arrived in Jerusalem. They asked around the city, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod, the ruthless Roman-appointed ruler of Judea, heard this, he was deeply disturbed, fearing a rival to his throne. He called together the chief priests and teachers of the law, asking them where the Messiah was prophesied to be born.
“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, quoting the prophet Micah.
Herod called the Magi to a secret meeting and found out the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” In reality, Herod planned to murder the child.
The Magi followed the guidance of the star until it stopped directly over the house where the young child was staying with His mother. When they entered the house, they saw the child with Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Opening their treasures, they presented Him with symbolic, royal gifts:
- Gold: A gift fit for a king.
- Frankincense: A precious incense representing divinity and worship.
- Myrrh: A fragrant ointment used for burial, foreshadowing His ultimate sacrifice.
Having been warned in a dream not to go back to the treacherous King Herod, the Magi returned to their native country by a completely different route. Joseph was subsequently warned by an angel in a dream to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt to escape Herod’s anger, keeping the young child safe until it was time to return home.
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